Part of a Whole
by AmaranthPrincess21
Summary: After learning his mother wasn't who he thought she was, Adrien has to pick up the pieces left by the revelation of her death and unfaithfulness to her husband. But now Adrien doesn't have just his father to worry about: his half-siblings Félix and Charlotte have been thrown into the mix and Adrien quickly learns just how toxic the Agreste household is.
1. Act I, Scene I

She looked so much like his mother it hurt. It wasn't so much in the blonde curls that framed her face, but in the shape and warmth in her blue eyes (although the color hadn't come from his mother). It was in the smooth planes of her face, ones he had grown up seeing everyday. Her jawline curved the same way his mother's did, her skin was the same porcelain color, and her upturned nose was identical to his mother's.

And her twin looked almost the same, the same facial features, although instead of curls he had long, sideswept blond hair. But where the girl exuded warmth, he gave off a cold aura that made Adrien hesitant as they walked up the stairs. This boy and girl . . . no, he shouldn't call him that. Boy and girl. He needs to get it through his head. They're not some random strangers in his home, they're his brother and sister.

Well, half-brother and half-sister, according to Nathalie.

When Adrien had woke up that morning, nothing was out of place. His alarm went off like it always did, he ate breakfast alone, he was driven to school and dropped off. Everything was normal. It was just another Friday.

"I'll see you after lunch," Adrien told Nino once the bell had rang for their break.

"See you then. I'll have Marinette save you a few pastries," Nino said before going off to join her and Alya for a picnic. Adrien had wanted to go, but Nathalie had refused his request. That hadn't surprised him. His father liked Alya and Marinette, but Nino was still banned from the Agreste Mansion and Adrien knew Gabriel disliked his friend.

As usual, the Gorilla was outside the school waiting and when Adrien climbed into the car, he noticed Nathalie sitting in the back of the limousine. Her arms were crossed, lips twisted into some kind of pout. _What,_ Adrien thought as he fastened his seatbelt. _Why's Nathalie here?_

"Do I have a photo shoot right now?" he asked.

"We're going to the airport. We have some kids to pick up," Nathalie said tersely.

"Wait, who are we picking up?" he inquired. Sometimes if an international model was coming to work on an Agreste shoot, Gabriel would have the Gorilla pick them up, but Adrien never came along. Nathalie exhaled slowly, eyes darting away from him.

"We've finally located your mother," Nathalie began and his heart began to beat violently in his chest. _They found her?! She's coming home? She's coming home!_ he thought happily, heart racing. "She's been in New Orleans, Louisiana for the past few years. She . . . Adrien, your father and I want you to understand that sometimes marriages . . . marriages don't work out and instead . . . your mother loved you but she and your father had some rough patches. God, I can't believe I'm having to tell you this," she groaned. _What does she mean, marriages don't work out? Has she just been living away from Father because they had a fight?_ he wondered. The elation running in his veins began to slow down, but he had to stay positive, he reminded himself. His mother was coming home and that was all that mattered.

"It's okay, Nathalie. I can just ask Mom myself," he said.

"Adrien, we're not picking up your mother." His hopes dove into the ground at her words and his heart went from pounding to dead still in a second. "What I'm trying to say is that affairs happen. And sometimes, the siren's call is too much to bear."

"What are you saying?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

"Your mother went to New Orleans to be with her lover. My understanding is that he's dead and your mother stayed behind to take care of their kids. She passed away a few days ago. I'm sorry." Everything came crashing down onto him. Vomit rose in his throat and acidic tears burned his eyes. No, no she couldn't be dead. That wasn't possible. That _couldn't_ be possible.

"Then . . . then who are we picking up?" he asked, biting back the vomit and tears.

"Your father thought it would be a good publicity move, that and he's unhealthily devoted to your mother even through all the bullshit she put him through, well he said Emilie would want this and it'd look good if he took in your half-brother and sister."

" _WHAT?!"_ Adrien demanded. _My brother?! My sister?! What?!_ "But why?!

"Well, there's always the off chance they're his, anyway. They look too much like Emilie for me to tell, and I don't know what their supposed father looked like, but as I said. Your father loved her too much and along with you, they're all he has left of her. It's a bad move if you ask me." Nathalie sat back in her seat, glaring out of the window. "I tried to talk him out of it. They have no place here and frankly, if he can barely take care of you he has no business bringing in two more kids. But he insisted that it's what Emilie would have wanted him to do."

Adrien's head was spinning. His mother was dead? He had a brother and sister? His mother had left him and his father willingly? What was going on? Was this even reality? He prayed he was just having a nightmare and he'd wake up in bed any moment now. But the closer they got to the airport he realized this was not a dream. This was really happening and he had to keep moving forward through all of this. His first instinct was to curl up and cry, but he couldn't do that with Nathalie in the car. The Gorilla wouldn't mind, but Nathalie no doubt would be less than kind if she saw him crying. "You're an adult, Adrien," he could hear her voice in his head. "Stop crying like a child."

With no other option Adrien did his best to keep himself together, wishing he could feel numb.

They waited for them in the airport, Nathalie holding a tablet bearing their names on it. Félix and Charlotte D'Aulnais. Nerves were boiling in Adrien's stomach. Sure, he had always wanted siblings when he was younger, but not like this. He didn't want siblings knowing that his mother had left on her own free will. She willingly left him and his father behind for another man and had two kids with him during that time.

Hell, did they even understand the situation? They couldn't be more than toddlers. They couldn't understand what was going on. All they knew was their parents were dead and they were on their way to a foreign country, where Adrien knew he'd have to be the one taking care of them. Gabriel had been loving and caring when he was a toddler, but given his recent track record Adrien doubted he would have much to do with the twins.

God, today couldn't get any worse.

"It's about time they got here," Nathalie grumbled, looking down to her watch before looking back into the crowd. But Adrien couldn't see any little kids in the crowd. Instead, two teenaged blondes made a beeline towards them. _They're not toddlers?!_ Adrien thought in shock. _How can they be teenagers?! Unless . . . unless Mom didn't start the affair right before she disappeared._ His stomach was knotting on itself and bile was rising in his throat. This couldn't be happening. His mother would never do something like that. She'd never have an affair, let alone one long enough to have kids near his age, and she'd never leave him and Gabriel behind.

And yet, the proof of all his worst nightmares were standing right in front of him.

"Sorry for the delay, luggage took a while to get to the baggage claim and we got lost. All those escalators are confusing," the boy said. He was tall and thin, not unlike Adrien, although Adrien had to admit this guy was far more lanky than he was. "You must be Mme. Sancoeur. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, Félix," Nathalie said, shaking his hand. "Mr. Agreste apologizes that he couldn't be here. He's overseeing that your bedrooms are getting properly furnished." The twins hadn't been here for more than five minutes and they were already getting one of Gabriel's trademarked lies, Adrien realized resentfully. No doubt his father just didn't want to show up at the airport when he could be home hiding in his study.

"That's fine. We know he's a very busy man," Félix commented. At his side, his sister - _their_ sister - nodded solemnly. _Is she uncomfortable?_ Adrien wondered. Part of her body was obscured by Félix, head tilted to peek out. It was almost as if she were using him as a human shield. She wasn't as tall as Félix. In fact, she was pretty short and where Félix was lanky, she was a little chubby. They definitely weren't identical twins, but definitely out of the two she had more of a resemblance to his mother.

"It's nice to meet you," Adrien told her. Had he already done something wrong? She went from looking nervous to looking scared, like a deer caught in the headlights. "I'm Adrien. I'm your older brother." God, that sounded so weird to be saying, but he kept a friendly smile on his face and ignored the awkwardness and inner turmoil warring in his body. He stuck his hand out to her and waited. Gingerly, she pried herself from Félix's side and shook his hand.

"I'm Charlotte. It's nice to meet you too," she replied quietly. Félix's icy blue eyes slid over to Adrien and he had to stop himself from recoiling at Félix's harsh look.

"Same," he said, reaching out to shake Adrien's hand.

"You two have everything? Good. We're going to head back to mansion for lunch. Mr. Agreste expects you both to attend the latter part of the school day," Nathalie told them.

"We wouldn't expect anything else," Félix replied. Back in the car, Adrien tried to sit between the twins only to be shunted to the window seat by Félix. _Did I do something to make them upset,_ Adrien wondered, glancing over at them. Félix was on his phone and Charlotte's nose was pressed to the tinted glass, staring at at the city.

"After school's over, Adrien will take you shopping for clothes and any other furniture you might want in your bedrooms," Nathalie said, fishing something out of her purse. "I already alerted Gabriel's boutique that you three will be swinging by and he's already given you two the green light to take whatever you want."

"Oh no, we couldn't possibly do that," Charlotte spoke up, eyes wide as she turned to Nathalie.

"He insists. You're living in the Agreste household now and you need Agreste clothes, simple as that." Nathalie handed over a sleek black credit card to Adrien. "Use this for any purchases outside of his boutique. The pin is your birthday, Adrien."

"Got it," he said, slipping it into his wallet. Charlotte opened her mouth again but a quick look from Félix silenced her. She turned her head back to the window.

Adrien knew he should start a conversation with them. But what to talk about? General icebreakers? How New Orleans was? What could he talk about with them? He didn't know the first thing about then and he had a feeling even if he tried to start a conversation, Félix would shut him down and he'd make Charlotte stay quiet. Once again, Adrien decided to stay silent.

The car pulled into the garage and everyone got out. Nathalie motioned for Félix and Charlotte to follow her, Adrien trailing behind The twins had rooms in his side of the house. His door was at the end of the hallway and Charlotte's was to his left and Félix's to his right. _At least we'll be close together,_ he thought. _Maybe this will be an excuse to talk to each other._

"Do you need help unpacking?" he asked Félix.

"I'll be fine, thank you," he responded tersely.

"What about you, Charlotte?" he inquired.

"No thank you, Adrien. I'll be okay. Go ahead and have lunch without us. We need to unpack," Charlotte replied. Like a whip, Félix's head turned to his sister and gave her a critical look.

"Charlotte, go have lunch with Adrien. I'll unpack for you," he said.

"You don't know how I like my things organized," she argued.

"Go have lunch, Charlotte," he said again, forcefulness straining in his voice.

"Hey, I can wait for you guys to unpack and then we can all have lunch together," Adrien interjected, moving between the twins. Félix pursed his lips and turned on his heel, going into this room and shutting the door behind him. Charlotte murmured thanks to Adrien before going into her room and quietly shutting the door.

"Wow, talk about tension. You're going to have your hands full with those two," Plagg commented, poking out of a pocket as Adrien retreated into his bedroom. "Are you okay?"

"No," Adrien replied bluntly. "What am I supposed to do? My mom's dead and never coming back and she left me! She left me and Dad willingly! Did she even love us?"

"Of course she loved you!" Plagg exclaimed.

"Then why did she leave?" he demanded. "If she loved us, why did she run off to be with another man? Why did she have kids with him only a few years after I was born?!"

"I'm sure there's a good reason -"

"How can any of this have a good reason?!" Adrien demanded. "What good reason is there for leaving us behind?!"

"Okay, so maybe there isn't, but -"

"But what?" Adrien sat down on his bed, hands cradling his face. Everything surfaced back up and tears stung his eyes. His mother was gone and now it wasn't just about healing with his father. It was about healing with two strangers that clearly weren't going to make things easier. And how could he even heal from this? Everything was conspiring against him and he couldn't see the silver lining of this situation.

For the first time in years, Adrien just sat on his bed and cried until dry sobs wracked his body.

* * *

So I have a sad headcanon but not really a headcanon that nothing bad happened to Adrien's mom and she just left on her own free will. I thought it'd be interesting to see Adrien's dynamic with siblings and trying to piece his life back together after all this bullshit goes down.

As the story goes on more and more will be explained, like the full story of Emilie and Gabriel's relationship and its problems, why exactly Gabriel took the twins in, and why Félix and Charlotte aren't much younger than Adrien (he's 18 and the twins are 15 turning 16 in a few chapters). We'll also get to see some stuff from Gabriel's point of view, and maybe Félix and Charlotte (although I haven't fully decided on that yet).


	2. Act I, Scene II

The sharp clatter of silverware scraping and prodding against china plates echoed through the Agreste dining room, the soft undertones of chewing and swallowing the only thing to soften the sharp din. Adrien's eyes were on his plate, every so often flitting up to Félix or Charlotte. The room was devoid of talking. Adrien's throat was still raw from his earlier episode and the twins weren't very talkative. _This will get easier,_ Adrien had to remind himself. _The longer they're here, the easier it'll be to talk to them._

But part of him was scared that wouldn't be the case.

"Are you going to eat your pasta or do I have to shove it down your throat?" Félix asked Charlotte, giving her a critical look from across the table. Apparently that was his trademark move. Charlotte remained silent, continuing to stare down at her plate. It looked like she hadn't touched much of her food outside her salad. _Maybe she's feeling sick and the pasta will be too heavy for her,_ Adrien theorized. "Seriously? Eat it. It's healthy."

"Thanks, Daddy," she sneered, fork going back and picking at the pasta.

"Great, now I have to kinkshame you," Félix said, throwing his hands into the air. Adrien swallowed down a laugh. _So he_ does _have a sense of humor._

"That's hypocritical. And I don't want my pasta. Adrien can have it," she replied.

"No, you can have it, Charlotte," Adrien told her. She pouted and turned back to her food, fork twirling thin strips of pasta around and around and around and never bringing it to her lips. She gave him another sad look and he caved. Adrien knew he was a sucker for puppy dog eyes, especially considering hers were almost identical to their mother's. "Okay, I'll split it with you."

"Don't encourage her," Félix said harshly as Charlotte moved her things to sit next to Adrien.

"Come on, Félix, don't be such a jerk," she said. She shoved a forkful of pasta into her mouth. "See? I'm eating it. Happy?" He smirked. _Is he always like this? Why does he have to be so controlling over Charlotte,_ Adrien wondered, trying not to give Félix a dirty look. If there was one thing he hated, it was someone who tried to control others.

"Now that I've seen you've eaten and I'm done, I'm going to finish unpacking," he said, scooting his chair back and rising from the table. "You should do the same when you've finished your food, Charlotte." She nodded and Félix left, footsteps echoing through the empty house. Adrien wondered what he could say to Charlotte, but when he opened his mouth to speak he saw her standing up as well.

"Charlotte?"

"I really do need to finish unpacking my things. Feel free to have the rest of my food." She quickly left the room, taking one last glance back at him before fleeing into the foyer and up the stairs. Adrien's eyes narrowed, fingers drumming against the edge of the table. Félix sure did seem to have Charlotte wrapped around his finger and Adrien didn't like that one bit.

* * *

They pulled up to the lycée and Adrien took the lead, climbing out the car with the twins close behind. Students were milling around in front of the building, chatting and laughing before classes started. Nino, Marinette, and Alya were sitting on a bench, laughing at something Nino was saying. Maybe later he could ask Nino about it. Right now, he needed to do big brother duties.

"I can help you find your classes, if you want," Adrien offered, giving the twins a warm smile.

"No thanks. I printed out a map for Charlotte and I. We'll be fine on our own," Félix shot him down, pulling two sheets of paper out of his messenger bag.

"Oh, cool. That's good." _Time for Plan B._ "I can go with you and introduce you to the teachers," Adrien said.

"That won't be necessary," Félix replied.

"Uh, if you want to hang out with me and my friends before class, you're more than welcome to." Adrien knew he was grasping for straws but he wanted to make sure they felt welcome and comfortable. He had no idea what it felt like to move to a foreign country and have your life uprooted so suddenly, but he figured it was scary and if he could help the twins feel more comfortable, the happier he'd be.

"We're going to find our classes so we're not late," Félix blew him off.

"Charlotte, what about you? Do you want to hang out with us?" Adrien asked her. Her blue eyes widened and her body froze.

"She'll be fine," Félix cut in.

"Hey, Adrien! Who're these guys?" _Crap._ Nino, Alya, and Marinette had migrated over to them, curious but friendly expressions on their faces.

"He's our mom's first child," Félix said. He hissed as Charlotte punched his arm. She said something fast and in English; Adrien couldn't catch what it was but it sounded faintly like swearing.

"We're Adrien's younger brother and sister. I'm Charlotte! This is Félix," Charlotte said in French, pointing to her brother. In seconds her whole demeanor changed from a scared deer in the headlights to a brightly smiling, cheerful girl.

"Bro, I didn't know you had siblings!" Nino said excitedly to Adrien.

"He didn't know until this morning, apparently," Félix commented in a deadpan. "Ow! Charlotte, stop hitting me!"

"I'll stop hitting you when you stop being a fucking piece of shit." Now that Adrien _could_ catch and he wanted to pat her on the back for standing up for herself. Charlotte cleared her throat and turned to his friends, switching back to French. "I'm sorry. Félix can be cold but he's really nice once you get to know him."

"Nice to meet you!" Leave it to Marinette to take the lead, putting her hands forward to shake the twins'. "I'm Marinette."

"So what year are you guys in?" Alya asked.

"Seconde," Félix replied.

"Oh, you're not that much younger than us. We're all in our terminale year," she replied, shaking his hand. "I'm Alya, and that's - _NINO!"_ Nino had Charlotte's had and was pressing a kiss into the palm of her hand. Charlotte looked amused more than anything, but Nino backed away quickly, wilting under Alya and Félix's toxic glares.

"He's messing around, it's not a big deal," Charlotte waved it away.

"Yeah, Nino doesn't mean anything by it," Adrien said, putting his arm over Félix to stop the boy from charging his friend. Félix exhaled shortly and threw Adrien's arm off him.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I need to find my classes. Charlotte, you should come with," Félix told her.

"I think I'll be fine if I hang out for a few more minutes," she replied.

"Do you really want to run the risk of being late on your first day?" he demanded.

"It doesn't bother me."

"Charlotte."

"Go on ahead, Félix."

" _Charlotte."_ Adrien wanted to plant himself in between the twins. If Charlotte wanted to stay and hang out, she should be able to. He hated to admit it, but his distaste for Félix was growing by the second. Félix was giving her an intimidating, glowering look and any confidence Charlotte had gained in the past minute was gone. Her doe eyes were wide and she shrunk.

"I, uh, I'll see you all later," Charlotte gave them a meek wave before Félix grabbed her arm and hauled her off.

"You're just going to let him do that?" Alya demanded to Adrien.

"I met them this morning, Alya. It's not like I know how to get between them," Adrien replied. "Trust me, I don't like this as much as you do."

"I don't know how you're gonna deal with that, but good luck," Nino said, putting a hand on Adrien's shoulder. "I'm sorry about that. We were joking about Parisians being touchy and -"

"It's fine with me. Not sure if Félix is, though." Adrien glanced back at the school's entrance. It still looked like he was dragging Charlotte along.

"I'm sure Félix will stop being so clingy once he gets comfortable here," Marinette suggested. "He could just want her around for moral support."

"Girl, that is _not_ how siblings work. You don't act controlling like that unless something shitty's happened," Alya said. Adrien bit his lip.

"Well, something did," he murmured. "Our mom died and that's why they're with Father and I. They got nowhere else to go."

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold up. You're saying they weren't living with you before?"!" Nino demanded. Adrien nodded. He knew this wasn't going to be the last time he explained the situation to someone and already he was weary of the story.

* * *

"How did classes go?" Adrien asked them after school as they climbed into the car. Once again, Félix blocked Adrien from sitting next to Charlotte.

"They were fine," Félix replied.

"We didn't have many issues with language, so that was nice. And the teachers were fairly accommodating, although we have a huge essay to do for chemistry to prove we're up to date," Charlotte commented, nose wrinkling in distaste.

"You have the same classes?" he asked.

"For the most part, yes. But when I have choir she has ballet," Félix said. He leaned back into the plush leather seats. "So where are we going?"

"Father's boutique, I guess some nearby stores. We could get pastries on the way home," Adrien suggested.

"No thank you. I don't like sweet things," Charlotte spoke up.

"What? How can you not like sugar?!" Adrien demanded. Charlotte looked away with a shrug, eyes back to the window.

"I just don't."

"What about you, Félix?" Adrien asked tentatively.

"We could drop Charlotte off back at the mansion and go by ourselves, if that'd make you happy," Félix replied. "I could eat enough pastries for Charlotte and I."

"Great!" It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. _Maybe now I can win Félix over,_ Adrien thought excitedly. _And once he's on my side, I can befriend Charlotte!_

Gabriel's boutique was in a sleek, elegant, and modern building in Paris' high fashion shopping district. Glass, mirrors, and white marble bedecked the space while silver racks held well-made but pricey clothes. Adrien wasn't a huge fan of his father's clothing, but it was free to him and it's not like he could wear much else. His father would probably be upset if he wore competitors' clothing. Félix went ahead and found the men's section, combing through racks. Charlotte tentatively went to the female section, eyes surveying the clothes nervously.

"You all right?" Adrien asked her, staying by her side. Félix was preoccupied: this was his chance to bond with her.

"I-I'm fine. Everything is, um, well . . . " Her cheeks turned red and she looked to the floor.

"Money's not a problem. You don't have to worry about that," Adrien reassured her. Her cheeks burned a brighter red as she looked up at him.

"No! No, that's not the problem! I'm just, um, um . . . " She was stammering and Adrien had never seen someone look so scared and sad before in his life. _Does she need a little push for clothes?_ he wondered.

"What kind of clothes do you like?" he asked gently.

"Um, frilly, girly, sort of Victorian, I suppose," she said. "Really, I love lolita clothing, but I never get the chance to wear it." Adrien nodded.

"What about this?" he suggested, pulling a ruffled peasant blouse from a rack and holding it up to Charlotte. "This is pretty."

"I don't know . . ." Her voice trailed off, blue eyes darting down to the floor.

"Try it on, please?"

"I . . . okay, I'll try it on." _Another victory. I'm on a roll,_ Adrien thought, glowing with pride. He and Charlotte searched the store for pieces that fit her style (or Adrien thought she would like) before he sent her off to the dressing rooms. He parked himself on the boyfriend bench outside the cluster of stalls, checking his phone while he waited for her. Félix came to sit by him, a pile of clothes on his arm.

"Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do," he said. _What, can I not befriend my own sister?_ Adrien wanted to reply, but bit the words back.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Adrien replied. Félix scowled at him.

"You're trying to get all buddy-buddy with my sister -"

"She's my sister too."

"You're being too soft with her. You can't spoon-feed her and you can't let her get her way all the time."

"I'd rather give her what she wants instead of intimidating her to do what I want." The words were out of Adrien's mouth before he could stop himself. Félix's nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed.

"Um, how do I look?" Charlotte's quiet voice interrupted Félix before he could say anything. The blouse was a little lower cut than Adrien had thought, but that wasn't an issue. It fit her pretty well, hugging the curves of her torso and the color was nice on her.

"You look great!" Adrien told her truthfully, a large and encouraging smile on his face.

"It's a shirt all right," Félix replied. She gave him a deadpan look. "It's nice, Charlotte, no incest. You should get it."

"I guess I will," she murmured, glancing back at her reflection in a nearby mirror.

By the time six o'clock rolled along, they had been to six clothings stores, two furniture stores, and had visited the Eiffel Tower. The back of their car was stuffed with shopping bags. Félix, it turned out, could shop up a storm when it came to clothes. Most of the clothing bags were his, although Charlotte had a few as well. Whereas Félix liked clothes, Charlotte was a little too obsessed with buying jewelry and purses.

"You have eight purses already, Charlotte," Félix had told her as he and Adrien stood with her in a department store.

"I know but this one is shaped like a perfume bottle! I can't just _not_ get it," she had replied. And once again, Adrien had caved and bought it for her (not that she had begged for it, but at the checkout counter Adrien could feel Félix's eyes glaring holes into him).

"Where to next?" Adrien chauffeur, a man he'd affectionately nicknamed the Gorilla, asked them.

"We can head back to the mansion. You're probably both tired," Adrien said, glancing over to Charlotte and Félix.

"Didn't you want to go by a bakery, or something?" Charlotte asked from under a pile of bags.

"Yeah, but you two must be tired and you don't like pastries anyway." _Please let's just go home so I don't have to spend more time with Félix,_ Adrien silently prayed.

"No, no! Don't skip a bakery trip because of me!" Charlotte insisted. "If you guys want to go, you should! I'll be fine! I can take everything home and get a little more settled in."

"It wouldn't feel right going without you," Adrien replied, but she waved away his concern with a flick of her hand.

"That's ridiculous, Adrien! You and Félix go on ahead to the bakery. I'll be fine. I promise." She poked her head out from under a bag to look at him God, there she went again doing those puppy dog eyes that he couldn't resist.

"Okay, if you're sure . . ." Adrien's voice trailed off as he sat back in his seat.

"Glad to see you're taking my advice," Félix muttered disparagingly to him.

Well, this day couldn't get any worse.


	3. Act I, Scene III

Adrien really needed to stop putting his foot in his mouth. It was one thing saying he'd go to the Dupain-Cheng bakery with Félix and another thing entirely to actually do it. Tension was thick in the limo like humidity, suffocating and making Adrien's skin crawl. Félix was silent the whole way there, staring out the window. If this was bad, how bad would a pastry run with him be? How bad would _living_ with him be?

The Dupain-Cheng bakery was empty when Adrien and Félix stepped inside. Marinette was just stepping out of the kitchen, apron wrapped around her thin frame and a platter of cookies in her arms.

"Adrien! And Félix! Hi!" Marinette greeted them, coming forward with a plate of cookies. "Wait, where's Charlotte?" she asked, looking around the small space as if the girl was hiding somewhere among the displays.

"She needed to go Adrien's and finish unpacking," Félix replied.

"Oh, okay," she said. "Do you guys want a sample cookie? They're fresh out of the oven."

"Thank you," Adrien replied, hurriedly snatching one up. Félix murmured thanks and took one, chewing on it as he went to a glass display and carefully inspected the pastries. "I didn't know you worked in the bakery," Adrien told her.

"It's not so much working as it is helping out. I'm not paid or anything," Marinette shrugged. "But I don't mind. I get to work on displays and decorating, hand out the occasional cookie. It's not a bad job."

"You get to decorate? Which ones did you do?" He tried his best to ignore the adorable blush on her cheeks as she took him over to a display and pointed out the ones bearing her handiwork. Marinette was an incredible artist; for a moment Adrien wondered if he could commission her for some kind of art piece when Félix spoke up.

"Uh, Marinette, can I get two of every macaron, please?" Adrien was taken aback by how polite he sounded. If there was one thing Félix had proven himself to be, it was rude.

"Yeah, of course!" She shot Adrien an apologetic look while she went to the display and started placing macarons in pretty white boxes. "What about you, Adrien? Do you want anything?"

"Uh, I'm still trying to decide," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Okay. Just let me know when you've decided," she said happily as she handed Félix his box of macarons.

"Could I also get some éclairs, please?"

"Of course!" _Is he going to buy the entire store,_ Adrien wondered as Marinette put five in a box for him. Adrien had a sweet tooth, but clearly Félix had more than one.

"Marinette, I want a few of the cookies you decorated," he said. A pink flush appeared on her face and she pointed to the other side of the bakery to a few cookies on a tiered porcelain display. "What kind are they?"

"Just sugar; I didn't frost the others. We have other kinds -"

"No, I'll take three of them. Or maybe four. If Charlotte likes cookies, I should bring her back one," he added as an afterthought.

"Don't bring back anything for Charlotte. She won't eat it," Félix replied. And there it was. The argumentative side of him was coming out

"Really? She'll refuse a cookie?" Adrien retorted skeptically.

"I think I know my sister better than you, but okay," he said, eyes rolling.

"We, uh, we have some savory pastries if that's her kind of thing," Marinette offered helpfully. "A croissant might be good to bring back to her. They're not too sweet."

"I'll take one of those for her," Adrien said. He wasn't going to fight Félix here but God, if he didn't cut it out, Adrien would chew him out once they left the bakery. But Félix said nothing else as Marinette boxed up their goods for them and gave them their total, only looking around the bakery with his foot tapping a beat to unheard music. _Maybe things will get better,_ Adrien wondered as Marinette gave him back his credit card and sent them on their way. _After all, he dropped me getting Charlotte something._

"By the way, Adrien, your girlfriend Marinette is pretty cute," Félix said loudly to him as he stepped outside the store, pushing past a flustered Adrien and leaving him behind with a squawking Marinette.

* * *

The first thing Gabriel noticed about Charlotte was her resemblance to Emilie. If the girl straightened her hair, maybe she'd be the spitting image. She had considerably less shopping bags than Gabriel imagined she would; she certainly didn't have Emilie's love of shopping. Charlotte seemed to pick up on him lurking in the doorway of his office and gave him a tentative wave.

"Hello, sir. I'm Charlotte," she said, dropping the bags and slowly walking over to him. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. Where's my son and Félix? I thought they were shopping with you," he asked. He'd had a few Skype calls with Félix before he came to France, but Gabriel had hoped to meet him in person today. But apparently, that'd have to happen later.

"They went to a bakery, or something," she told him. Gabriel couldn't see any traces of her father in her face. Of course he knew there had to be some. Kids don't come out looking like a clone of their parents. But he could only see Emilie in her and none of him. To be honest, he'd been hoping Charlotte and Félix were in fact his and Emilie had just assumed they were the other man's. But he couldn't tell by looking at Charlotte. Félix didn't have his square jaw but had his eyes. Or at least, Gabriel liked to think Félix had his eyes. After all, maybe Emilie's other man had the same kind of eyes, but he didn't like to entertain that thought. No, it was much better to assume Charlotte and Félix were his but only took after Emilie.

"And you didn't go with?" he inquired.

"No. I, uh, I'm not very fond of pastries." He knew what that translated to, from her muddled words to the uncomfortable squirm she did, but he wouldn't intervene. If she didn't want to eat pastries, that was her business.

"I see." She paused and he could see concentration in her eyes as if she were choosing her words carefully.

"Thank you for taking us in, considering the situation," she said quietly. Before he could reply, she grabbed her bags and hurried up the stairs. Well, she was a lot terser than Emilie was, but then again no one was poetic as his late wife.

Maybe Charlotte did get something from him after all.

* * *

 _Another day, another try,_ Adrien thought as he woke up the next morning, his mind heavy with sleep and exhaustion as he went through his morning routine. A shower, blowdry and style his hair, cover up dark circles with concealer, get dressed, brush teeth. After the bakery incident he and Félix had come home and spent five awkward hours helping them unpack and rearrange their furniture to how they liked it. And that was followed by another silent meal filled with tension and Félix scolding Charlotte for picking at her food and Charlotte retorting that he was eating too much and would become unhealthy. Adrien groaned as he put down the hair dryer. If he had to get between the twins again when they screamed at each other, he would jump off the Eiffel Tower.

Plagg was still sleeping on his special pillow when Adrien came into the room and sat down to put his sneakers on. He'd probably have a few things to say about his holder jumping off of a tower, but if he'd been there, he would have understood. Maybe. Who knew what went on in Plagg's head. A sharp rapping at his door hoisted Adrien out of his thoughts.

"Come in," Adrien called as he threw a blazer over Plagg. Charlotte walked in, dressed in the peasant blouse he'd gotten her yesterday and jean shorts. But his eyes zeroed in on the air horn in her hand.

"Good morning, Charlotte. Is everything all right?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, everything's fine. I'm just warning you I'm going to go wake up Félix. Is your dad's room nearby? Should I warn him too?" she inquired.

"No, he's at work already," Adrien told her. _Is that why she has an air horn?_

"Oh, good. Well, yeah, I'm going to go wake him up. If you hear yelling, everything's fine. He's just hard to wake up and he's not a morning person." And without further ado Charlotte left his room, quietly shutting the door behind her. Not five seconds later he heard Félix's bedroom door slam open and loud blasts from the air horn cut through the mansion.

"WAKE UP MOTHERFUCKER IT'S MORNING TIME!" Charlotte's voice radiated through the Agreste Manor, rising over the air horn. "COME ON FÉLIX IT'S TIME TO GET THE FUCK OUTTA BED!"

"FUCK OFF CHARLOTTE!" Félix's voice yelled back, just as loud as his sister.

"Geez, why are they so loud?" Plagg groaned, crawling out from under Adrien's discarded shirt. Giggles burst from Adrien and he was rolling on his bed, gasping for air as he laughed hysterically. "It's not funny! They woke me up!"

"S-sorry, Plagg. I just, I just can't believe that's how she wakes him up," Adrien said, breathing hard as he tried to stop his laughter. Of all the ways to wake someone up, he never would have thought of screaming coupled with a goddamn air horn.

Félix still looked half-asleep by the time he joined Adrien and Charlotte in the dining room, hair wild and pajamas still on. His plate was already set and he had no problem digging in as soon as he fell into his chair.

"I'm loving the pajama couture," Charlotte teased him. She snorted into her fruit as Félix glared at her.

"I'm loving the short-shorts and the huge shirt," he fired back.

"That's literally what you're wearing," she replied.

"I know, that's why I said it." Adrien joined Charlotte and Félix laughing, tension in the air melting away like chocolate in an oven.

His eyes glanced over to the family portrait hanging above the mantle. Pain tugged on Adrien's heart as he saw his mother, smiling and happy. Would she be happy knowing the twins were living with Adrien and his father? Or would she have rather kept the twins isolated in New Orleans? He didn't know the answer and he didn't know whether he liked living with them yet, but this was just the beginning. Who knew what was going to unfold now that every secret was out?

* * *

 **Yay, the introduction arc is done! Now we can get to the nitty-gritty Adrien mourning the loss of his mother and her other life as well as getting to know the twins! I did let some of Félix's cool facade slip in this chapter but eh, it's a good segue to the next chapter!**


	4. Intermission I

In the dark blanket of night, Adrien chokes on the suffocating black. There is nothing to hold onto, there is nothing to free him from the dark prison of his room. In the darkness he can see figures move and all he wants is to follow these figures into the void. Anything to entertain himself and take his mind of off things.

Adrien knows the figures are just figments of his imagination, the optical illusions that seem to flourish once the lights go down. But even so, when he's alone with his thoughts sometimes logic and rationality is forgotten. Part of him hopes that perhaps it's his mother lurking in the dark, here to comfort him, here to beg for forgiveness.

It's just as well she's not here; Adrien isn't sure if he'd forgive her.

Charlotte looks just like her and it kills Adrien every time he looks at her.

Félix and his father must feel the same.

It's selfish and wrong, but Adrien hopes she dyes her hair or chops it all off. He can't take another reminder of his mother and the family portrait that hangs in the dining room is overbearing, the comfort he once found in it gone cold.

 _She'd willingly left him behind._

Tears burn in his eyes and he turns onto his stomach, sobbing and screaming into the pillow, every single wound his mother gave him opening and bleeding tears into the pillowcase.

At least there's one true beauty of the dark: no one can see him and wound him even more.


	5. Act II, Scene !

His heart still pounding from an adrenaline rush, Félix sighed as Charlotte closed his bedroom door. Eyes stinging from lack of sleep, he pushed himself out of bed. _Give it up for day two,_ he thought sardonically. He grabbed his phone and headphones and lazily scrolled through his music library. Playing "Luvoratorrrrry!" he started getting himself ready for the day. He'd never admit it, but he was grateful that Adrien had taken him and Charlotte shopping. Looking at the clothes he'd brought with him, the ones his mother had bought him, made his stomach knot itself whenever he set eyes on them.

Félix had a specific morning routine. Shower, do his hair, cover up any bags under his eyes with concealer, get dressed. His mother had always gone on about how important appearances were. At the time, he'd chalked it up to a weird personality tick, but now knowing she'd been married to a fashion designer, it took on a new light. He supposed some old habits died hard.

Music still pounding in his ears, Félix made his way downstairs to the dining room. Charlotte was already there, picking at her food as usual and talking genially with Adrien. So she was still acting like everything was fine. It's her funeral if she wants to ignore her grief, Félix thought as he sat across from her. He could faintly hear Adrien ask him something.

"Sorry?" he said, taking an earbud out.

"I was just saying good morning," Adrien replied.

"It's certainly a morning." He fought back a laugh at Adrien's perplexed face and Charlotte's sniggering. As he put his earbud back in, he heard Charlotte explain to Adrien that he detested mornings.

* * *

As they went on the drive to school, Adrien glanced at the twins. Charlotte was on her phone and Félix was staring out of the window, still listening to his music. He'd tried a few times to sneak a peek at what he was listening to but with no success. Whatever it was, Félix seemed pretty entranced. That or he was using it as an excuse not to talk. Both seemed pretty plausible to Adrien.

Students were hanging around the front of the school as they pulled up. Nino and Alya were talking to Marinette, who held a cream-colored box in her hands. It wasn't odd to see Marinette at school with a box full of pastries. Since they'd gotten into high school, she'd often bring treats to her friends. Sure, they were a little stale, but Adrien didn't mind one bit. Whatever she brought, he'd eat it.

"Good morning, sleepyheads. You look like you didn't sleep last night," Alya greeted them as the trio approached them. She wiggled her eyebrows at Félix, who rolled his eyes.

"Oh, I slept just fine. It's just that someone woke me up with an air horn this morning," he replied, glaring over at Charlotte.

"It's not my fault that someone broke my vuvuzela. The one I spent hours gluing rhinestones on," she fired back at him.

"I didn't purposefully break it," he defended himself. Marinette sheepishly grinned at the joke before clearing her throat.

"Hey, uh, Charlotte, your brother and Adrien came by my bakery yesterday and well, I thought since they didn't bring you anything that I could. I mean, you can pick something you like from the box. Or take the whole thing, it's not like I'll throw any of this away. I just felt bad that you didn't get to have anything," Marinette said. Adrien felt Félix tense up beside him as Charlotte's mouth gaped ever so slightly.

"Um, thank you, Marinette. That's very kind of you," she said. Her fingers picked up a tiny macaroon and popped it in her mouth. Adrien's eyes caught the faint quiver in her fingers, the slight pause before she swallowed, and a quick glance at Marinette told him she saw them as well.

"Can I have some too?" Félix asked Marinette, point to the box.

"Oh! Sure, go ahead!" Félix didn't wait to be told twice, digging into the box and shoving four macaroons into his mouth before heading off to class, Charlotte trailing after him.

"He's got a sweet tooth, doesn't he?" Marinette nervously laughed as she glanced after them.

* * *

The dining room was silent as Adrien and Félix sat at the table. Félix was shoving food and wolfing it down as if he'd been starving for months, the sharp dings of cutlery against plates ringing in the room followed by soft munching noises. Adrien's food was untouched as he wanted to wait for Félix's sister to join them. He hadn't seen her since they got home. She had run up to her bedroom as soon as she got into the foyer and slammed the door shut. _Maybe I should see if she's okay,_ he wondered. _Maybe she's upset._ Félix had gone after her, but Adrien hadn't seen if she was fine or not.

"We don't have to wait for Charlotte, you know," Félix said, fork violently digging into his food. "She'd want us to go ahead and eat."

"I don't know. Maybe I should go see if she heard Nathalie," Adrien mused, glancing towards the doors.

"Leave her be. She'll eat when she eats," Félix replied through a mouth full of bread. Adrien paused. He knew the right thing would be to go and check up on her, but he thought about sitting across from her, with her eyes and her face that matched their mother's perfectly and felt nauseous.

"Do you mind if I take my lunch back to my room?" Adrien asked. Félix shook his head and Adrien was out of there in record time. As soon as he shut the door, he knew he was being selfish. He should have been spending time with the twins, not sulking in his room.

"They're not babies, Adrien. They can take care of themselves," Plagg said, whipping out of Adrien's shirt quickly.

"But I'm their older brother. I have to make sure they're okay during all of this," Adrien argued.

"Your mental health is just as important as theirs. If you need a break, you can take one," Plagg replied, but Adrien remained silent, guilt still stinging his soul as he ate in silence.

After lunch and a nap, Adrien trudged down to the foyer to wait for Félix and Charlotte. _I hope the rest of the day goes quickly,_ he thought as hard footsteps against the marble floor echoed through the house.

"Charlotte's not going back to school today. I managed to get her to eat something but she's not feeling well," Félix said as he joined Adrien in the foyer. Adrien frowned and glanced over towards Charlotte's room.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"She will be. This always happens when she has sweets. Her stomach can't handle it and she throws it back up," Félix replied.

"Maybe I should stay home and stay in case she needs something," Adrien mused out loud. Félix shook his head.

"As I said, this happens all the time. She's fine on her own." And without another word Félix made his way towards the car waiting outside. It felt wrong to be heading out when Charlotte needed him or her twin, but at least she had Nathalie there to help her if needed. And if Adrien was being honest with himself, he didn't feel like going back to school either. Reluctantly, he filed into the limo after Félix.

The car drive was silent, Félix staring out of the window, headphones in, and Adrien staring into space at his phone. What wouldn't he give for the car to crash and land him in a coma. Maybe then he wouldn't have to deal with this. _Wait, what am I thinking?!_ Adrien thought, perking up. _I shouldn't be thinking like that!_

After an eternity, the car pulled up to the high school and Adrien couldn't get out fast enough. Nino and his friends would take him mind off all of this. They had to.

"Where's Charlotte?" Marinette asked as Adrien and Félix joined her and the others after the break.

"Charlotte tripped and hurt her ankle so Adrien's assistant took her to the doctor to make sure it's not sprained, or something," Félix replied. Inwardly, Adrien breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been expecting Félix to tell Marinette the truth, that her sweets had made Charlotte sick. That would have broken her heart. But no, Félix lied and spared Marinette's feelings.

Perhaps he wasn't as cold as he was letting on.


End file.
